Electrical conductor



Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR Donald K. Brampton, Marion, Conn, assignor to Chase Brass & Copper ()0. Incorporated, Waterbury, Conn a corporation No Drawing. Application August 11, 1938, Serial No. 224,301

2 Claims. (01. 19122) This invention relates to improvement in elec- In casting ingots from alloys in accordance trical conductors formed of copper-base alloys, with the present invention, no harmful segregaand more particularly to electrical trolley wires tion occurs. Also, it is unnecessary to use any formed of such alloys. deoxidizing agent in casting the ingots, thus 5 One object of this invention is to produce elecavoiding undue reduction of the electrical con- 5 trical trolley wires formed of copper-base alloys, ductivity caused by deoxldizing agents. and having a combination of high electrical con- When the ingots are reduced to the form of ductlvity and high tensile strength. drawn trolley wires, in accordance with the well- Another object of this invention is to proknown and usual processes, these trolley wires duce electrical trolley wires formed of copperare found to have exceptional resistance to wear 10 base alloys and having a combination of high from the rubbing action of trolley wheels and electrical conductivity, high tensile strength, and shoes and the like, and aiso to have exceptional high resistance to wear. resistance to Wear or destruction due to the for- Another object of this invention is to produce mation of electrical arcs between the trolley wire electrical trolley wires formed of copper-base aland the trolley Wheel or shoe. Another impor- 5 loys having a combination of high electrical tant fact is that the cost of the zinc and copper conductivity, high tensile strength, and high refor making the alloy is relatively low and the sistance to wear and arcing. cost of the fabricating processes is also rela- Another object of this invention is to protively low, due to the ease of working this alloy.

duce electrical trolley wires formed of copper- The invention may be carried out in other 20 base alloys and having a combination of high specific ways than those therein set forth withelectrical conductivity, high tensile strength, high out departing from the spirit and essential charresistance to wear and arcing, and which can be acteristics of the invention, and the present emproduced at relatively-low cost. bodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all The expression, combination of high electrical respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all 25 conductivity and high tensile strength, in this changes Co g Within the meaning an q application, does not necessarily mean that each alency range f the pp ded Cla s a e inis particularly high, considered alone, but that tended to be embraced therein. the combination of the properties is attractive I claim:

or high from a practical standpoint. Thus, for 1. An electrical trolley wire characterized by 30 example, the conductivity is high for a given a combination of high conductivity, high tensile tensile strength, or vice versa. strength, ease of Working, low cost, high resist- I have found that trolley Wires can be given ance to wear and high resistance to arcing, and a combination of high electrical conductivity, formed of a copperalloy Consisting f Z high tensile strength, and high resistance to wear from about 8% to about 12% and the balance of 35 and to arcing and can be formed at a relativelycopper except for impurities. low t when containing by weight, zinc from 2. An electrical trolley Wire characterized by about 8% to about 12%, and the balance substana combination of high C nd ty, high tensile tially of copper, it being understood that the strength, ease of W w cost, h h resistalloy may contain minor amounts of impurities ance to Wear and high resistance to arcing, a d 40 of such metals, for example, as lead, iron, aluformed of a COMET-base al oy consisting of zinc minuni, tin, silicon, and so forth, provided the bo a the balance of pp ex ep for I total of such impurities is not suificient to lower pu i the conductivity below the permissible desired limit. one preferred electrical trolley wire, in DO ALD K. CRAMPTON.

accordance With the present invention, has the zinc content about 10%. 

